Remeberance
by socgirl
Summary: Hilde looks back on her life with Duo


Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. If I did, there would be lots more episodes.

"I'll never forget the day that we met. There just seemed to be a presence about him that just drew you in. Even on the other side of the room I was able to pick on his cocky, self-assured attitude. It was then that I knew that this was a man that bring about some major changes. Gathering up all of the bravado that being a new OZ soldier provided me, I decided to introduce myself and perhaps get to know him better. I walked straight up him and introduced myself to him in my most cheerful, non-threatening voice. It was then that I began to pick on some more subtle things that I had missed in my earlier inspection. Although this man seem to be totally relaxed and oblivious to his busy surrounding, he was really a coiled beast ready to spring at any opposition. It was then that I knew that this man was not what he seemed. Gathering up my confidence, I further stated my new position in the OZ organization and how they were looking for young men such as himself to fight for peace and the colonies. I spoke these words with such vehemence that surprised both him and myself. Embarrassed by my display of excessive emotions not fitting to a soldier, I left him with an applications and went to complete my duties that I had neglected with this little chat. It was then a great surprise when I saw this same man just later that day as a registered OZ soldier. I was immediately skeptical. Once again, my instincts had not failed me. I was not able to dodge the pack thrown at me as he made is quick departure in a mobile suit. I quickly regained my footing and went after this "traitor" in a blind rage. It was in the ensuing battle that I learned an important lesson. I began to doubt the things I had been told and came to the realization that we were fighting for the same thing. Funny as it may seem, just being around him was enough to make me question every other belief that I had previously held . Granted, there were repercussions for my "careless actions", as they were to later be called. I was held in a cell for two weeks before being Dishonorably Discharged. I then decided to head back to my home colony. I took what little money that I had been able to hoard in my short time of enlistment to buy a house a run down scrap yard. Things had gone back to normal, or as normal as normal can be when you're in the middle of a war, as the scrapping business began to take off. It was then that I saw him once again. He was standing at the doorstop, arm propped against the door jamb with a sheepish grin on his face. He looked as if he had been standing in the rain for hours for his clothes were completely drenched and his hair hung limply from his head. I couldn't turn him away. I invited him in, and from then on, he stayed. He laid claim to a room at the end of the hall thus becoming a permanent fixture of the house. 

The greatest man I never knew  
Lived just down the hall  
And everyday we said hello  
But never touched at all  
He was in his paper  
I was in my room  
How was I to know he thought I hung the moon

  
"After much coercion and hard work on my part, Duo began to do little things around the house to ease my work load. Mainly he loved to help out with the scrap yard. He had a quick and agile mind that would easily sort the various metals and was integral in helping find new contacts. My life with him was near perfect. But as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Duo started going out more and sometimes not returning for days. When I asked him about where he had been, he simply brushed me off or changed the subject. The peak of all this came when some White Fang officials came along trying to recruit Duo into their new organization. Our short bout of happiness had come to an end. The house grew silent as we each refused to speak our feelings. Neither one of us wanted to be the first to acknowledge that it was over, but it was. He was no more than a shadow of the man that I had fallen for. It was under this cloud of despair that he left to go on a "mission". How I so despise that word now for it only serves to remind me of the pointlessness of the whole situation. The "mission", as I'm sure you know, was nothing but a set-up. The objective was a simple infiltration in which he was to retrieve some classified data on a new weapon. As he reached the room in which said data was held, the light shined forth revealing that he was surrounded by a room full of snipers. His chances for survival were next to nil, but somehow he made it out. Beyond that, his luck had run out. A chance shot managed to hit him as he was running. It was then that you found him."

"Yes, I recall that shot manage to sever some nerves in his lower spine making it impossible to move any further. The doctors later confirmed that he was paralyzed from the waist down."

"The light just seemed to go out of his eyes at the doctors pronouncement. After all that he had done, he felt that he was utterly helpless-- a half-man he would often state. The thought slowly drove him insane.

The greatest man I never knew  
Came home late every night  
He never had too much to say  
Too much was on his mind  
I never really knew him  
And now it seems so sad  
Everything he gave to us took all he had  


"There were times that I didn't even recognize him as the happy-go-lucky guy that always had a joke or a smile. He grew bitter and would snap at those around him for no apparent reason. He eventually pushed everyone that had ever cared about him away. He started drinking heavily until he passed out into a drunken stupor. On one of his better days, he told me that it was the only way that he could escape the nightmares of his past. After a while, he stopped talking at all. He would just sit there in his chair, not sleeping, not eating, just consoling his good friend Jack." Hilde concluded bitterly.

Then the days turned into years  
And the memories to black and white  
He grew cold like an old winter wind  
Blowing across my life  


"It all ended one bleak January morning. I had just gotten back from a long over-due shopping trip when I saw the note. I simply had 'HILDE' on the front of it and was laid carelessly against the phone. The words are those of which I will never forget. For in this short, heart-felt letter, he proclaimed his deep love for me that he never got to express, his insecurities about his current state, and simply ended it with the reasons he must die. I was barely able to run down the hallway through the haze of my tears. An eternity later, I had made it to his room. I threw open the door and was greeted by one of the most gruesome sights that I had ever seen. The scent of death was everywhere. The center point of it being in the far right corner of the room. The wall was splattered with blood and some other material that I did not want to fully examine, and then there was Duo. His face was almost completely unrecognizable due to close range shot, but ironically enough I was able to notice one thing. He had a grin on his face. It was like that he was "happy" that he was going to die. I couldn't believe that he had taken his life. After all the lectures that he had given me on the importance of life, he had to do this!" She expounded slamming her fist on the table.

The greatest words I never heard  
I guess I'll never hear  
The man I thought would never die  
Has been dead almost a year

"About a month later, I received a call from Duo's attorney. Apparently during those times that he had been absent, he had founded a small company. I was utterly speechless. It seemed that Duo had left all of his worldly possessions, including this thriving company, to me. I did not even know that he knew anything about business, let alone one of the leading security teams on the colony. I ended up selling the company to Heero because it was to much of a reminder of the time that we could have spent together. I took the money from that sale and bought a house here on Earth. Lady Une would later approach me with the idea of joining the Preventers. I readily agreed in hopes of preserving the peace that he had fought so hard for. Speaking of which brings us up to date."

He was good at business  
But there was business left to do  


"Exactly. Are you going to be okay? I know the anniversary of his death is coming up."

"I'll be fine, Trowa. Really! Your sister wasn't joking when she said that you could be a little overprotective, was she?"

"I hide behind a mask on a daily basis and have come to recognize others. You know where to reach me if you should need me."

"Right. Guess you should go now, but maybe we can talk later."  
"Count on it."

  
He never said he loved me  
Guess he thought I knew

So, what do you think? Feedback is always welcome.


End file.
